While Justice Verma Committee, constituted to suggest amendments in laws for
sexual crimes, today submitted its report to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the
country still faces a huge task of curbing the rising rape and sexual
harassment cases against women and children.

Dharavi Area, Shirdi in Maharashtra

A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped after being kidnapped by an unidentified person in Dharavi area of central
Mumbai, police said today.

The victim was playing with her friends outside her house at a transit camp in Dharavi slum last night. But, when her mother came out of the house, she could not find her, Deputy Commissioner of Police D Kulkarni told
PTI.

As she continued searching for her daughter, the victim was found crying near a public toilet, the officer added.

"The girl was bleeding. The victim's mother took her to Dharavi police station where an FIR was registered under IPC sections 363 (punishment for kidnapping) and 376 (punishment for rape)," the DCP said.

The victim is presently undergoing treatment at Sion hospital, police said adding that they were trying to identify the rapist and several people in the area have been questioned.

In another incident in a village in Shirdi, a man was arrested for allegedly kidnapping and raping his 14-year-old niece, police said today.

On January 14, the minor girl's father, a resident of Ranjangaon Deshmukh village in
Shirdi, lodged a missing complaint at the Shirdi police station.

Later, police conducted a search and nabbed the girl's uncle from Kalamb village in Ambegaon tehsil of Pune district on January 18 and rescued her.

Subsequently, the accused, who is the cousin of victim's father, was arrested.

The girl was sent for medical examination in a government hospital and its report issued today confirmed rape, police said.

The accused, who has been remanded to police custody, has been booked under sections 363 (kidnapping), 376 (rape) and 366 of
IPC, they added.

Sonipat in Haryana

Five persons, including a woman, have been arrested for involvement in gang-rape of a minor girl from Gohana town of
Sonipat, police said today.

The victim, who was staying with her elder brother's family was lured by a
neighbour, Suneeta, to come to her house on Sunday, they said.

According to the police, Suneeta fed the victim sweets which was allegedly laced with a sedative and she fell unconscious. The accused Pinni Singh drove the minor to his place, where he and four others allegedly raped her.

Five of the accused -- Pinni Singh, Hanuman, Montu and Bondhu and victim's neighbour Suneeta -- were arrested yesterday for rape and criminal conspiracy, they said, adding that one accused Naveen is absconding.

Dhalai District in Agartala

A returning officer and the sub-divisional police officer of Gandacherra
inDhalai district of poll-bound Tripura have been charged with molesting women and an inquiry has been constituted to probe the incident.

Chief Electoral Officer Asutosh Jindal told reporters here last night that he had received complaints that unspecified number of women were allegedly molested and men accompanying them were allegedly harassed by the two in the name of checking vehicles when they were returning from a campaign rally of the ruling Left Front on January 20.

The secretary of Gandacherra unit of CPI-M, Lalit Tripura had lodged the complaint with Jindal the next day.

According to the complain the returning officer and sub-divisional magistrate of
Gandacherra, Sandip N Mahtye and sub-divisional police officer Ranadhir Debbarma had stopped the vehicles on Sunday night at the foot of Kalajhari hills in the name of checking harassed the party activists and supporters of the party and molested the women members.

During the searches there were no women police personnel present and the two officers molested the women, Tripura complained.

When the party activists protested, the officers threatened them of strict action, the complain said.

The CPI-M workers were returning from a rally addressed by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and party general secretary Prakash Karat.

Dhalai district magistrate has been asked to inquire into the incident and submit a report, Jindal said.

Raigarh, Raipur in Chhattishgarh

A 15-year-old from a government-run hostel for tribal girls was allegedly raped by two youths in Raigarh district of
Chhattisgarh, police said today.

The minor inmate of the Pre-Metric Hostel in Lailunga was sexually abused on Monday, Additional Superintendent of Police Praphull Thakur told
PTI.

The accused Sanjay Sidar and his friend are absconding and a case has been registered against the duo on the complaint of the victim, he said.

According to police, the girl moved out of the hostel along with her friend without informing the Superintendent on Monday.

After she was found missing from the hostel, the Superintendent complained to the police.

However, the victim, in her statement has said that she was forcibly taken to an isolated place by the two youths, who outraged her modesty, he said.

In a separate incident in Raipur, a 22-year-old community health worker, who had been missing since last night, was today found dead in the forests of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh and police suspected that she might have been raped.

"The body of the woman was found dumped in the forests neari Maharpara village under Bhairamgarh police station area of the district," Sub Divisional Officer of Police
(SDOP) Rajendra Jaiswal told PTI.

Whether she was raped would be confirmed after the post-mortem report, he said.

The young victim was working as a 'Prerak' who imparts training to health workers and was posted in Patarpara village close to her native place
Maharpara, over 400 kms from here.

Yesterday, when she did not return from work in the evening, her relatives began searching her and later found her body this morning, the SDOP added.

Thrissur in Kerala

A 52-year-old school van driver was arrested today on the charge of sexually exploiting a 14-year-old student over a period of time, police said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Chandana Chowdhari said the girl and her parents met her and submitted a complaint in this regard.

The driver on being questioned reportedly admitted to having molested her several times and sexually exploiting her twice or thrice when she was alone in the vehicle.

The driver had been operating the van for the last eight years and the girl had started to travel in the van for the last one and half years, Chowdhari said.

Charges have been framed against him under Section 376 of Indian Penal Code and Section 5 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 20l2.

He was produced before a magistrate here, who remanded him to 15 days judicial custody, the ACP said.